The present disclosure relates generally to sealing mechanisms and, more specifically, to sealing mechanisms for curvic joints in a turbofan engine.
At least some known gas turbine engines, such as turbofan engines, include a fan, a core engine, and a power turbine. The core engine includes at least one compressor, a combustor, and a high-pressure turbine coupled together in a serial flow relationship. More specifically, the compressor and high-pressure turbine are coupled through a first drive shaft to form a high-pressure rotor assembly. Air entering the core engine is mixed with fuel and ignited to form a high energy gas stream. The high energy gas stream flows through the high-pressure turbine to rotatably drive the high-pressure turbine such that the shaft rotatably drives the compressor. The gas stream expands as it flows through a power or low-pressure turbine positioned aft of the high-pressure turbine. The low-pressure turbine includes a rotor assembly having a fan coupled to a second drive shaft. The low-pressure turbine rotatably drives the fan through the second drive shaft.
Many modern commercial gas turbine engines include one or more axial couplings, which transmit torque between rotating components. Curvic couplings and Hirth couplings are types of precision face splines which are commonly used for this purpose. These types of joints include radial spline teeth formed in the end faces of the rotating components. The end faces of rotating components are coupled together such that the radial spline teeth from a first rotating component engage the radial spline teeth from a second rotating component, and torque is transmitted therebetween through the radial spline teeth. In at least some known turbofan engines, a high-temperature plenum and a low-temperature plenum are defined on opposing sides of the curvic coupling. A flow of air channeled through the low-temperature plenum is typically used for cooling components within the turbofan engine. However, leakage through the curvic coupling facilitates reducing the cooling efficiency of the flow of air channeled through the low-temperature plenum.